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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Sangria

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm an observer by nature. As we travel, I love to watch new parents caring for their infants and young people caught in the first flush of love. Custom and tradition differ from one country to another but the tenderness they share is unmistakable and knows no borders. We had a whirlwind day today. Chance placed us in disparate spots where we watched two very different types of weddings. One was a homemade affair, held beneath a bower in a public rose garden. The other was far more grand, held in wine country at the King Estate. Both brides were lovely and the tenderness in the eyes of their new husbands was unmistakable. I would be hard pressed to say which bride will have the most pleasant memories of the day. The tonier wedding had food that you are all familiar with. The simpler feast was a truly homemade affair. The bride made her own cake and the sandwiches which were served to her guests. The groom whipped up the brew just before the ceremony began. They obviously had me in their camp the moment they said "I do." As I watched him make a punch that looked surprisingly like sangria, I knew exactly what would accompany our dinner tonight. Sangria is a wine punch that comes from Spain. I've made this sangria for better than forty years and it is, without a doubt, my favorite version of this wonderful summer drink. The original recipe belongs to Dione Lucas. She was the first woman to graduate from Le Cordon Blue and was a respected chef and restaurateur. She predated Julia Child on television, but lacked Julia's camera presence and thus was history writ. She was a marvelous cook and wrote many terrific cookbooks, one of which I still use today. I must warn you that this sangria is like a rum drink. It really packs a punch and gangs up on the unsuspecting very quickly. It is very easy to make. Here's the recipe.
Sangria...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Dione Lucas

Sangria holds happy memories for me - it was the drink du jour at almost ANY Mexican restaurant in Australia in the 80's and 90's! Come to think of it ... it's a wonder I CAN recall it, given it's 'punch' properties!

Sangria gets made a few times in accompanyment with my father-in-laws homemade wine...ohhh yes...we are spoiled indeed! For some reason I'll never make the Sangria the same way...I do love to experiment. That will include a try at yours too ;o)Have a great day and by all means...go easy on the booze;o)Flavourful wishes, Claudia

That looks like a very authentic recipe! I don't drink alcohol so my version has red grape juice and lemonade (sorry!) in amongst other things, so I guess it can't really be called sangría...but it tastes good anyhow!

Happy 4th of July! We love sangria in my family and I use a similar recipe that includes Triple Sec and I omit the additional sugar. It's also great topped with sparkling wine. Perfect summertime drink!

Our daughter and her boyfriend came over on Wednesday night and made dinner for us - barbecued salmon, roasted corn, cheese risotto and artichokes. It was a feast! They made sangria,and the leftover fruit is sitting in the fridge, in the dregs of the wine, perfect over ice cream!

Sangria is so summery and one must remember, "I am drinking alcohol" as one sips and then gulps! The wedding story is so lovely. I hope it was just the most perfect day for both of them - to savor - forever and a day.

I had two bottles of Two Buck Chuck merlot that someone brought to a potluck party a few months ago, and although I didn't want to drink them straight, I hated the idea of tossing them out.

So for the 4th of July picnic-potluck we attended in Malibu, I made a big jug of sangria. I had a couple of lemons, a couple of blood oranges, and some limes in the fruit bowl, plus a box of Farmer's Market strawberries.

I used cognac like you did, and also added some Cointreau. Instead of sugar I just went half-and-half with soda water and ginger ale.

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